The terminal successfully handled 3 vessel calls which brought 1,840 cars and 370 heavy trucks. The cargo was delivered to PLP within a regular service Southampton – Zeebrugge – Bremerhaven – Malmo – Hanko – St.Petersburg – Southampton. Following the successful trial unloadings, the service operates two vessels of the same type – m/v Auto Eco and m/v Auto Energy, with weekly calls to PLP.

The two vessels are the world’s first dual fuel LNG pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs). Their pioneering design was jointly developed by UECC, Wallenius Marine and NYK Technical Group, together with Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The vessels were constructed at the NACKS shipyard in Nantong, China and delivered at the end of 2016. UECC CEO Mr. Glenn Edvardsen said at the naming ceremony of m/v Auto Eco: “It is the first PCTC of its kind in the world to be fitted with a dual-fuel LNG propulsion system, allowing it to complete a fourteen-day round-trip voyage solely on LNG without refueling. Auto Eco not only meets existing emissions regulations but also exceeds them, allowing her to trade in any Environment Control Area, worldwide.”

With a length of 181m and a width of 30m, both vessels have a maximum capacity of 3,800 standard sized cars spread over 10 decks, including 6,000 sq.m. that can be also used for high and heavy cargo. According to UECC, these are the largest dual fuel LNG PCTCs in the world. The ships also feature the 1A super Finnish/Swedish ice class, facilitating year round trading in the Baltic area.

Headquartered in Oslo, UECC is owned by NYK (50%) and Wallenius Lines (50%). The company currently operates a fleet of 21 purpose-built PCTCs.

Owned by Global Ports, Petrolesport is located in the port of St. Petersburg. The 123 ha terminal includes a Ro-Ro facility capable of handling up to 190,000 cars and a container terminal with an annual capacity of 1 mln TEU.